Various wearable electronic devices, such as wearable gaming controllers can include integrated circuit (IC) chips that can generate substantial heat. Such wearable devices can also have exterior surfaces that, by design or through incidence of use, make contact with the user's skin, both direct and through non-protective apparel. Various techniques for carrying heat from the ICs in such devices have been employed. These include, for example, heat spreaders, heat pipes, and finned heat sinks, sometimes in combination with air flow, from a passive vent or assisted by air blowers. There are various techniques for employing certain of these to wearable electronic devices.
There are technical problems that remain, though, which can be of particular concern in the field of wearable electronic devices. One such technical problem is the routing of heat from the heat sources, with usable and practical ability of both meeting surface temperature profile desires or limits, and sufficiently removing heat from the ICs to avoid thermal damage. Also, to be practical and usable, such technical solution must also meet weight, size, noise and cost constraints particular to wearable electronic devices.
This technical problem has significant aspects, and these can both illustrate the need for, and difficulties of a solution. One of the aspects is that due to application-specific design constraints and performance goals, heat generating ICs may be positioned at a sub-optimal spacing—with respect to heat—from an exterior surface that is designated, or likely, to be in contact with a user's skin. Overlapping somewhat with this aspect is the common design objective, to use the same or similar ICs in a variety of different types, shapes and configurations of wearable electronic devices, constructed with different housing materials.
Disclosed methods and apparatuses, described in greater detail in paragraphs that follow and the referenced drawings, provide technical solutions to the above-described technical problems, and provide further technical benefits and advantages.